An old rustic theatre stands ancient and rusting in the setting sun. Underlying motifs of pure horror fill the wind as it whistles through the trees. She sings her mournful song, dancing through the falling leaves of crisp autumn. Something remotely inhuman howls, a noise that can bring an entire army to their knees, as terror and adrenaline shatters the glass case of protected sanity. 

Throughout history, innocent citizens have been warned of the wayward hauntings of phantoms of ghosts. Superstitions have grown and creepy stories have developed as the human race tries to escape the cruelest terror of all: the wild fantasy of the human mind. 

However, not all hauntings have the familiar themes of blood curdling screams and chilling whispers. Some can have wonky histories and comical punchlines. Some can be almost amusing. 

An elegant opera house, created for the beautiful and diverse artform of the dramatics; the theatre can be a sinister place indeed! A helpful little girl floats in the middle of the costume room, sorting buttons. Tidy spirits organize props, remaining invisible to the naked eye. Over the years, performers have said they encountered eerie disturbances in the opera house, apprising tales of mischief. 

One interesting story is the retelling of Actress Jenny Marshall. According to fabledcollective.com “an actress named Jenny Marshal was performing in The Wizard of Oz and had a sudden, overwhelming feeling of fear when she was in her dressing room one night.” Marshall was admiring her “The Wizard of Oz” dolls when the lights flickered to black and the actress was paralyzed with fear. When the lights came back on, all of the dolls had been knocked from the shelf they were propped on. 

All except one… The Wicked Witch of the West was left standing on the shelf, leaving behind the looming feeling of dread. 

One of the main ghosts of the Springer Opera House is Edwin Booth. The notorious surname has cursed the family line for years, plaguing generations of Booth descendants. Booth was the brother of the infamous murder; the person who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln shortly after the Civil War’s termination: John Wilkes Booth. 

Actor Booth was a famous 19-century performer, and is known to have performed at the opera house before his death. The actor also toured throughout America and Europe, performing in Shakespearean shows. 

The Booth family was a successful and talented troupe of performers, devoted to theatre and the dramatics. However, when John Wilkes Booth killed the president, the family was forced into isolated seclusion. 

After the famous actor’s death, locals of Columbia, Georgia have reported unusual sightings in the theatre. Booth has been said to float around the opera house over the decades, reclaiming his theatrical home from the grave. 

Other paranormal acts occurred when the Springer performed Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. Booth was known to play Hamlet in Shakespeare’s famous play, and still holds the record for performing the main lead in the most performances. With this, the residents of the Springer were always hesitant to produce a performance of “Hamlet”, and their superstitions were proved right when they went through with the production. 

Unfortunately, the superstitions became alarmingly true and something happened to the lead every night. “Most nights it was just mischievous things like missing props, but one night a theater light came crashing down from the ceiling, landing right next to an actor,” said justshortofcrazy.com. On the majority of the performance nights, props went missing and costumes were tarnished. However, one of the worst paranormal occurrences endangered the life of an actor on stage: a theatre light came crashing down, landing right next to a performer. 

These curious hauntings still affect the daily lives of the workers at the Springer Opera House. In the costume loft of the theatre, employees have told instances of a friendly ghost: an invisible apparition who finds lost costume apparel. 

“Apparently, she wore new shoes to work and they were killing her feet. She ran up to the costume loft, opened the door and said, “I need a pair of comfy shoes in a 5 ½,”’ said justshortofcrazy.com. The author is referring to a local caterer. 

Shortly following this event, the employee closed the door, waited, and reentered the loft. 

Miraculously, the specific pair of shoes appeared randomly amidst the sea of costume racks, a helpful friend only leaving the traces of miscellaneous items in its footsteps. 

Over the years, the opera house has encountered many unexplainable instances, shocking employees and altering the brain chemistry of the residents and performers of the old theatre. 

It seems the theatre has proved to be the most authentic house of horrors, as superstitions run rapid and tall tales become real.  

One can only hope they collide with an eerie experience of the theatre.